Portable staging structures that can be transported over the highway from one performing area to another are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,564 owned by the assignee of this application discloses a self-propelled portable stage wherein one or both sidewalls of a chassis mounted staging compartment can be raised to provide an overhead canopy. With the sidewall raised, a staging apron can be pivoted downwardly underneath the canopy. Support arms extend from the canopy downwardly and inwardly to the unraised portion of the near vehicle sidewall to support the canopy in its raised position. Other examples of portable performance platforms are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,258,884, 3,217,366, 3,181,203, and 1,521,803.
Canopies positioned over performance platforms are preferably tilted upwardly and outwardly towards the audience for proper acoustic projection. While previous portable performance platforms have allowed for the upward tilt of a portion of the canopy, a mechanically efficient means for tilting the entire canopy of a portable platform in the proper orientation has been lacking. A portable performance platform that could be folded into a stowed configuration suitable for transportation along roads and highways that included an overhead canopy that could be tilted in its entirety outwardly and upwardly towards a performing area in a mechanically efficient manner would provide a decided advantage.